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SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 



FLORIDA. 



OWEN NOX. i/ 



BOSTON: 
A. WILLIAMS & COMPANY 

1881. 






/ 

Copyright, 

18S1, 

By Alfred Mudge & Son 



PKEFACE. 



Every book should have a preface ; not that it 
adds in any way to the value of the work, but it 
gives it an air of respectability. 



O. N. 



COI^TE^^TS. 



PAGE 

CHAPTEE I. — The Stakt 11 

CHAPTER II. — Savakxah 26 

CHAPTER III. — Jacksonville 38 

CHAPTER lY. — Jacksonville (continued) . . 48 

CHAPTER Y. — Jacksonville (continued) . . 52 

CHAPTER YL — Jacksonville (concluded) . . 61 

CHAPTER YIL— Pilot Town 69 

CHAPTER YIIL— Up the St. John's 76 

CHAPTER IX. —Deer Hunting 88 

CHAPTER X. — Life at Enterprise 96 

CHAPTER XL— The Stranger's Story .... 108 

CHAPTER XII. —The Wilderness 120 

CHAPTER XIII. — Deep Creek 128 

CHAPTER XIY. — St. Augustine 138 



SOUTIIEEN RAMBLES. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE START. 



In the winter of 1877 I contracted a severe 
cold, and as I had always desu-ed to go South, 
persuaded my- 
self that I was 
going mto con- 
sumption and 
that my health 
required me to 
go to Florida. 
I consulted a 
number of doc- 
tors, and they 
all agreed that '^ 
it would un- 
doubtedly benefit me to leave Boston for a while, 
but none of them seemed to think a trip to 




12 SOUTHERN Il^\3IBLES. 

Florida necessary; some of them even spoke 
lightly about my cold, and after thumping me on 
the chest for a few minutes and listening for the 
echo, told me that my lungs were as sti'ong as a 
horse's. . 

Of course they were quacks, and did not know 
their business; so I put no trust in what they 
said, but kept on visiting doctor after doctor 
until I struck one at last who seemed to under- 
stand my case. After going through the usual 
exercises, he asked what was the matter with me. 
I told him I thoui>-ht it would be danQ:erous for 
me to stay in a cold climate all Avinter, and had 
an idea that a trip to Florida would benefit my 
health. He said he thought it would be the best 
thing I could do. I told him I thought I should 
like to go soon, and asked him if it would not 
be advisable to get away at once. He replied 
emphatically that it would, and closed our inter- 
view in these words: "My dear sir, although 
there are no symptoms of actual consumption, 
yet, as you already have a cold, and as ^an 
ounce of prevention,' etc., etc., there can be no 



THE START. 13 

question but what a change of climate could 
not be otherwise than beneficial. Five dollars, 
please ! Thanks. Good morning ! " 

On my way home I met Jack . Upon 

learning of my intended Southern trip, he ex- 




pressed a desire to accompany me. We dined 
together, and before we parted it was definitely 
arranged to leave the city on the following 
Thursday. 

The next few days were spent in buying a long 
list of things which Jack said we should need. 
We purchased all the books we could find which 
had anything to say about Florida; and the more 



14 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

we read, the more anxious we became to visit the 
wonderful scenes which the authors described. 
All of them agreed in one thing, if they differed 
in everything else : the climate was like one 
eternal spring. Fruit of all kinds grew every- 
where, and was so jilenty that the inhabitants 
were glad to have visitors walk about and pick 
it off the trees. It was a paradise for hunters; 
game of all kinds abounded, and the fishing was 
magnificent. I admired those books before I 
visited Florida ; I admired them more afterwards. 
One of them was a gorgeously gotten-up affair, 
in paper covers, which reeked with illustrations 
of tropical scenery. Some of the author's de- 
scriptions fired us with especial admiration. 

Jack ahvays carried one of those books with 
him, and whenever we visited one of the places 
described, he pulled it out of his pocket and read 
some of it. I got so at last that I dreaded to 
visit a place that I remembered to have read 
about. I could tell when it was coming. Jack 
would grow restless, and say, " Let me read you 
something concerning this place, — it is interest- 



THE START. 15 

ing " ; and then he would drag out some mfernal 
maniac's diary and commence. He never com- 
mented on what he read, but would hunt soberly 
,for the page, and then commence and read it 
from beginning to end without a stop, — without 
a smile, — always the same drawling intonation 
and maudlin expression, until the last word was 
read ; then his face cleared, and a load seemed to 
be lifted from his mind. He said he liked to get 
information about the places which he visited. 

It has been claimed that the English language 
is inadequate to convey to the mind a correct 
idea of an especially beautiful scene. I per- 
ceived this to be a fact; for the ideas which we 
had formed of places after reading those descrip- 
tions differed somewhat from our opinions con- 
cerning them upon our return home. 

The day soon arrived when we were to start, 
and nothing unusual transpired in consequence 
of the grand event. The city was quiet when 
we left. This was caused, I suppose, by our 
departure being somewhat sudden, and its not 
having got noised abroad that we intended to 



16 



SOUTHEElSr RAMBLES. 



leave. Jack was in the best of spirits at the 
thought of visiting a Southern chmate and en- 
joying some of the splendid shooting he had 
heard so much about. Our cargo of implements 
and ammunition was safely housed in the bag- 




gage car; and as the train slowly moved out of 
the depot into the darkness of the night, we felt 
that our trip had fairly commenced. We were 
still in a civilized country, so we slept well, 
and upon awakening in the morning found our- 
selves in New York. After breakfastinsr at the 
"Union" we procured a team and drove down 



THE START. 17 

to the steamer to take a look at the state-room 
which was to be our quarters until the steamer 
arrived in Savannah. There appeared to be a 
delightful uncertainty as to the time of her 
arrival at her destination. The ticket agent had 
said three days at the longest. I have always 
admired that :nan. I found out afterwards that 
he had been employed by that line for years, and 
knew the running time of the boats by heart; 
and he knew that the old tub on which he smil- 
ingly saw us take passage had never been known 
to go anywhere in three days in the memory of 
man. Last year, while they were taking up a 
subscription in aid of the yellow-fever sufferers, 
I heard that this man was detained in a locality 
where the disease was raging. I then withheld 
my subscription; but he came back safe, — they 
always do, — and during my last visit to New 
York I met him. He was as smiling as ever, 
and actually had the audacity to ask me if I was 
not going South again soon. I did not tell him 
that the only thing that would induce me to 
think of it would be his funeral celebration. But 



18 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

I wander from the subject. The captain thought 
to make the passage in three clays, if we had 
good weather. He had hoped to do that same 
thing for years, and if he only lives long enough 
he may do it yet ; but not on that boat. 

"We were to have sailed at three o'clock in the 
afternoon; but it was midnight before we cast 
' off and steamed slowly down the harbor. It 
was a beautiful night, but too cold to remain on 
deck, so I sought the cabin in the hopes of get- 
ting a look at my fellow-passengers. A number 
of ladies and gentlemen were on board, and the 
cabin presented quite a lively appearance. 

Picking out a philanthropic-looking old gen- 
tleman, I found a seat near him, and after having 
glanced casually at the other passengers for a 
moment or two to give him a chance to open the 
conversation, remarked, — 

" Fine weather." 

He dropped his chin, and looked at me over 
his spectacles. 

" Yes. Going to Savannah? " 

I intimated that I was, unless the steamer 



THE START. 



19 







stopped suddenly on the way, which I hoped 
would not be the case. 

"Fme place, Savannah; lived there off and on 
for the last twelve years. Been there before? " 

"IS'o." 

"Family on board?" 



20 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

«:n'o." 

"Live in :N'ew York?" 

"No/' 

" Boston man, perhaps ? " 

Before I could answer him, some good instinct 
prompted the steward to ask if a valise and 
shawl which were lying on the table belonged 
to him ; and while he was describing the person 
who had left them there, I managed to slip 
away unobserved. 

In the smoking-room I found Jack, who hailed 
me with, " Well, old boy, we are off at last " ; and 
after delivering this piece of valuable informa- 
tion, settled himself in his chair, looking the pic- 
ture of contentment. A slight rocking motion 
was perceptible, as by this time we were getting 
pretty well out to sea. Several young fellows 
on the other side of the room apparently felt it 
too; for two of them grew slightly pale, and 
throwing away their cigars, remarked that it was 
" about time to turn in," an attempt at sea slang 
which, coming from their whitening lips, sounded 
almost ghastly. 



THE START. 21 

An hour later, when we descended to the 
cabin, we found it deserted save a sleepy stew- 
ard, who only roused himself long enough to 
inquire if we wanted anything. We made our 
way to our state-room, and by careful balancing 
managed to undress. Watching my chance, I 
jumped skilfully into the berth, taking all the 
skin off my knees on a board which had been 
placed at the side of the bed, ostensibly to pre- 
vent the occupant from rolling out, but in reality 
to cause untold anguish and suffering to the 
unwary passenger. I lay there gritting my 
teeth, for I would not have had Jack know it 
for the world; but my feelings were somewhat 
soothed a few minutes later by seeing him, while 
trying to remove his under-garments, loosen his 
hold on a hook to which he had been clinging, 
and a roll of the vessel caused him to sit down 
suddenly, taking the stool with him. The upper 
berth had fallen to his lot, and while climbing 
into it another lurch assisted him with a sudden- 
ness which was probably unexpected; for a dull 
sound from above, followed by unintelligible 



22 



SOUTHERIi' KAMBLES. 



mutterings, convinced me that he was either 
saying his prayers, or had tried to butt down 




/ / / li I 

" Caused Him to Sit Down. 



THE STABT. 23 

the side of the state-room, and was thinking it 
over. 

Life on board a steamer is necessarily monoto- 
nous, and during the passage nothing occurred 
wortliy of mention. Everything went along as 
smoothly as possible except the vessel, whose 
progress was anything but smooth. I believe 
the company expects three fourths of the pas- 
sengers to average one meal a day, and are 
greatly vexed if the weather happens to be so 
fine as to allow those passengers who are un- 
used to the sea to take their meals regularly. 
To pass away the time the usual games were 
indulged in, and the usual ennui was felt by 
everybody except Jack. He had insisted on 
taking an extra " sea chair " along with him, and 
I now perceived his reasons for so doing. 
Almost as soon as we were fairly under way he 
commenced operations. Jack's modus operandi 
were as follows: He generally kept his chair 
and the extra one chained together, so that they 
could not be used by any one without his permis- 
sion. After breakfast he promenaded the deck, 



24 



SOUTHERN KAMBLES. 



■watching the other passengers as they straggled 
out one by one, then* pale faces showing how- 
much they were enjoying the passage. After 
eying them with a critical glance, he would pick 
out the prettiest young girl he could see, and 




then walk deliberately up to her and offer her 
his chair. Of course this opened a chance for 
conversation, and generally ended by the chair 
being accepted, and the acquaintance of the 
young lady formed. If she happened to be 
accompanied by her mamma, he would offer her 



THE START. 25 

his own chair, and watch his chance to get 
hold of mine. His "briUiant conversational 
powers," as the girls have it, usually charmed 
the mammas, and after that the way was clear. 
He seemed to enjoy himself greatly, and became 
a perfect lion among the ladies. It was pleasing 
to me, too, to observe the peaceful expression of 
contentment which overspread his features after 
he had told some more than usually outrageous 
lie and saw that he was believed. 



CHAPTER n. 

SAVANTS^AH. 

OiTE morning when I went on deck, I found 
that we had crossed the bar and were slowly 
steaming np the beautiful Savannah River ; for 
it is a beautiful river. Its clear water resembles 
coffee as much as anything else; perhaps it 
would be better to say that it resembles a weak 
solution of very poor coffee. On either side, the 
river was bounded by a thick growth of reeds, 
and the only redeeming feature were the numer- 
ous flock of birds, which ever and anon rose 
and fluttered about for a moment, filling the air 
with their fresh and varied melody. (Patent 
applied for.) 

As we neared the city we passed numbers of 
small boats containing negroes, evidently in pur- 
suit of the ducks and other water birds which 
were constantly flying about. All the passen- 



SAVANNAH. 27 

gers were assembled on the forward deck, enjoy- 
ing the view and their first experience of a 
Southern chmate. It was a beautiful warm day 
even for Savannah, and the whole company was 
in high spirits. 

After we had landed and got comfortably 
settled, in a really good hotel, Jack and I started 
out for a walk. Our first impression of the city 
was not as favorable as I could have wished. 
Everybody we met appeared to have a resigned 
look of contentment. The city was as quiet as 
one of our ^ew England to-svns on Sunday. 
After Avalking for some time, and not seeing any- 
thing worth seeing, we perceived a female figure 
coming up the street on the opposite side. Jack 
crossed over and sauntered along with his hands 
in pockets until she had passed. Then he re- 
crossed the street to where I was standing, and 
as he came up I perceived a look of disgust on 
his features which was not there when he had 
left me. 

I ventured to inquire if she was pretty. 
Apparently he thought this was adding insult 



28 



SOUTHERISr RAMBLES. 



to injury, for he looked me straight in the eyes 
for a moment, and then fired out his words as 




" An Episode." 



SAVANXAII. 29 

though a steel spring was concealed in his 
throat : — 

"Pretty! forty years old, and cross-eyed. 
Thunder and lightning! talk to me about your 
Southern beauties." 

"I am sorry that your first experience has 
been so unsatisfactory ; but still it was an 
episode — " 

" ' Episode ' ! l^onsense ! Hyena ' is what you 
are trying to think of; but I forgot you did n't 
see it as close as I did." 

He Avas evidently disturbed, and it was not 
until we had returned to the hotel and had 
become interested in a game of billiards that 
his face cleared, and he resumed his usual ex- 
pression of imbecility. 

One day in Savannah Avas all that we could 
stand, and it was hard work to do even that. 
It was pleasant enough to feel yourself once 
more on dry ground; but we had experienced 
that novelty before, and wanted something be- 
sides earth to amuse us. There is plenty to 
amuse a stranger in Savannah, if he goes around 



30 SOUTHERN" RAMBLES. 

quietly and docs not try to do everything in a 
hurry. A person may find amusement any- 
where, if he only looks for it; and people differ 
in their tastes. It is a fine place for consump- 
tives. If they do not recover in a few months, 
their mind has become calm; they do not dread 
death. 

After dinner we held a consultation, and de- 
cided to start for Jacksonville that afternoon. 
Accordingly, we procured our tickets, and shortly 
after were arranging ourselves as comfortably as 
possible for the all-night ride before us. "We had 
engaged seats in the only drawing-room car con- 
nected with the train, and it looked as though 
we were going to have a pleasant trip of it. 
Almost immediately after the train started, the 
car in which we were seated bounced around so 
that it was impossible to read without injury to 
the eyes ; so after one or two attempts we gave 
it up, and fishing out a pack of cards from one 
of the bags, we repaired to the rear of the car, 
and bribed the conductor to bring us a substi- 
tute for a table in the shape of a piece of board, 



SAVAX^AH. 



31 



which we rested on our knees. The motion 
caused the cards to slip around and mix them- 
selves up in the most aggravating manner, so 
that a very few minutes convinced us that the 
work was greater than the amusement. 

Jack was sleepy, and arranged himself com- 
fortably for a doze, . 



while I commenced 
reading again; but I 
soon gave that up for 
the greater amusement 
of watching Jack's ac- 
tions. He had leaned 
his head on his hand, 
with his elbow rest- 
ing on the sill of the 
window, and was no 
doubt quite comfort- 
able for a few min- 
utes ; but soon the mo- 
tion of the car caused 
the sharp edge of the sill to cut into his arm, 
and he changed his position, but did not im- 




32 soutiier:n' rambles. 

prove it. The sill was wide, and so to rest his 
head against the glass caused his neck to assume 
a position at right angles with his body. In a 
few moments this position evidently became irk- 
some, for he again changed it. This time he 
muttered something to himself, and sitting bolt 
upright rested his head upon the back of the 
seat. The jarring of the car soon caused the 
screw-heads on the top to bore themselves into 
the base of his skull in a manner not conducive 
to comfort. After this he gave it up in disgust, 
but cheered up somewhat when the conductor 
passed through the cars and announced that we 
stopped for supper at the next station. 

When the train stopped we left the car and 
walked across a platform to the hotel, where we 
were greeted by a woman who was standing on 
the porch Avith a vigorous salute from a bell 
which she held in her hand, and which had evi- 
dently been used as a cow-bell previous to the 
establishment of the " hotel." Entering a large 
room we seated ourselves, together with a num- 
ber of our fellow-i^assengers, around a smaU 



SAVANNAH. 33 

table, and a voluptuous female of uncertain age 
demanded if we would have coffee or tea. We 
took coffee; and right here let me warn all 
future generations against ordering coffee on 
that road. Cofjfee is good in its way; but the 
flavor of last year's beans does not improve it. 
I was glad I tried it, for otherwise I might have 
visited that place in future years, when I might 
have been in poor health, and I shudder to think 
of the consequences. 

They gave us eggs and some slabs of meat. 
There was some yellow stuff in a dish, which I 
observed several of the passengers putting on 
their bread. I could not imagine what it was, 
and asked the v. f. of u. a. to name it. She 
cast on me a glance expressive of pity and con- 
tempt, and explained that it was " butter." 

Jack tried it once (once is not often), and after 
looking at it for some time in silence and thought, 
remarked that some instinct told him that the 
person who prepared it was a woman of ad- 
vanced years. I did not ask him to explain, and 
he maintained a mysterious silence on the sub- 



34 



SOUTHERISr P.AMBLES. 



ject afterwards. The cravings of hunger being 
satisfied, we repaired to the platform and walked 




Name It." 



SAVAira^AH. 35 

about until the conductor came to us and told us 
that the train was about to start. He then 
hunted up the engineer, and as that worthy 
entered the engine coop we climbed into the car 
and made our way to our seats. 

Soon after, being somewhat sleepy, we ordered 
the porter to make up our berths, and undressing 
ourselves we retired. I fondly believed that my 
troubles for that night were finished, but I was 
mistaken. Lying upon my side, I tried to sleep, 
but as my head resting on the pillow did not 
move much, and as my body resting on the hard 
bed did move a great deal, the position soon be- 
came irksome. The human neck is a gigantic 
failure as a substitute for a hinge. 

During some of the sudden jumps which the 
car took, I flew up and caressed the upper berth, 
and by the natural laws of gravity my return to 
the bed was more forcible than pleasant. Still I 
came to enjoy a Southern country, and I was 
enjoying it to my heart's content. A minister in 
the berth opposite me was evidently enjoying it 
too. I knew he was a nmiister, for he was 



36 SOUTHERN" EAMBLES. 

saying his prayers. He usually finished every 
sentence with the name of his Creator. During 
one of the sudden jumps he got as far as "Oh," 
as he soared upward, and the word " God " was 
jerked out of him as he returned to his berth in 
a most awful and blasphemous manner. 

I must have dropped asleep soon after this, 
for I dreamed that I was rolling down the side 
of a mountain, and kept rolling, rolling, until I 
became insensible. I was awakened at daylight 
from an uneasy sleep by the jolting of the car, 
and dressing myself, repaired to the back plat- 
form. There I found Jack and the minister. 
Jack was smoking a cigar in a gloomy manner, 
and seemed displeased at something; and upon 
my asking him if he had passed a good night, 
he merely snorted, and kept on puffing away in 
silence. 

It was early morning, and the dew had not 
yet dried on the leaves. The woods on either 
side of us glistened and sparkled as if covered 
with precious gems. AYe were passing through 
a vast forest of pines, and from the branches of 



SAVANNAH. 37 

the giant trees hung great quantities of Spanish 
moss, giving the woods a very picturesque 
appearance. Every few minutes we passed 

along the borders of small ponds, frightening 

< 

ducks and herons from their hiding-places with 
the rush and roar of the train ^ as we whirled by 
them. The morning air was fresh and cool, 
and we enjoyed the view until Ave entered Jack- 
sonville at a little after nine o'clock, strange to 
say only one hour and a half behind time. 



* The above seutence is good. Any one who has travelled on 
Southern railroads will appreciate it. " Rush and roar of the 
train" is exceptionally fine. 



CHAPTER in. 

JACKSONVILLE. 

Jacksonville, city of eternal summer, how 
we had longed to see it; how we had longed 
to bask in its shady groves, and breathe its 
pure air ! Visions of sparkling springs gurgling 
through the fresh, sweet-scented verdure, over- 
hung by swaying palmettos, had haunted our 
thoughts ever since we had left the IS^orth. In 
our dreams we had fancied ourselves reclining 
beneath the shade of some sweet-scented orange- 
tree, eating the ripe fruit which hung about us 
gleaming like gold in the splendor of a Southern 
twilight, while birds of many kinds and bright 
plumage flitted around us, filling the air with 
their fresh and varied melody. I say we had 
dreamed all this, and I do not regret it. It is 
sweet to dream. 

Entering a stage-coach, we were driven to the 



JACKSONVILLE. 39 

St. James Hotel, and after half an hour's hard 
work, with the aid of quantities of soap and 
water, we nearly regained our natural color, and 
donning some clean clothes descended to the 
dining-room, and had a really good breakfast. 

Jack became quite cheerful, and kept up a 
running fire of conversation with an elderly 
party who sat opposite. 

Just as we were about to leave the dining- 
room the door opened, and in swept a young 
girl, who was, as Jack afterwards remarked, "a 
tearing beauty, and knocked him all in a heap." 
She sat down at our table, and then commenced 
operations to arrange her clothes in a position to 
suit her. First she sat down and gave her dress 
a pat on one side, — to be sure it was still there, 
I suppose, — but almost immediately rose again 
and settled herself in a different manner. 
This time she seemed to have hit it, for she 
smiled sweetly to herself, and after fidgeting 
around for a moment or two became quiet at 
last, and stared squarely at me across the table. 
Being a modest man, I dropped my eyes. She 



40 



SOUTHERN RAIVIBLES. 



then transferred her attentions to Jack, who had 

IL 




A Modest Man. 

been looking at her fixedly ever since she 



JACKSONVILLE. 41 

entered the room, his eyes having something of 
the expression of an animated corpse. After 
having viewed him to her satisfaction, she turned 
her attention to the waiter and languidly ordered 
him to bring an orange, and she would think 
what she would eat in the mean while. As I was 
not at all anxious to see her devour an orange, 
and as I was anxious to smoke a cigar, I left the 
table and the room. Jack followed me slowly, 
and when we had reached the office said solemnly, 
^^In my younger days I used to amuse myself by 
staring our old cat into fits. I could frighten a 
baby into convulsions in less than a minute ; but 
I will bet my chance of wings hereafter that if 
that girl fixed her eyes on an Egyptian mummy, 
the mummy would have to cave m." 

We strolled past the garden in front of the 
hotel and continued on until we reached Bay 
Street, which presented quite an attractive 
appearance. It is broad and smooth, and is 
lined on both sides by large, handsome stores. 
A number of these stores are devoted to curios- 
ities, which meet a ready sale to tourists who 



42 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

desire to carry home some little present to a 
friend, or as a memento of the place, and gener- 
ally prefer curiosities to anything else. Alliga- 
tors' teeth, stuffed birds, snakes, feather fans, 
sea beans, — anything, in fact, in the shape of 
a local curiosity is always in demand. The 
dealers charge exorbitant prices for these arti- 
cles, and get them, too. 

Jack stopped in front of a large, imjDosing- 
looking store, the windows of which were filled 
with curiosities of every description, and wanted 
to go in. So in we went, and Jack with his 
usual bashfulness stalked up to a gentleman 
behind the counter and remarked that Ave did 
not wish to buy anything, and that we only came 
in to look around. The proprietor was very 
affable, and told us to make ourselves at home. 
There were quantities of curious specimens of 
natural history and art, and I should have 
enjoyed myself hugely rummaging about had i\. 
not been for Jack, who amused himself by 
tickling the monkeys, stirring up the snakes, 
or picking up the little alligators and examining 



JACKSONVILLE. 



43 



them gravely when some nervous elderly lady 
happened to be near him. 




Jack bought an alligator, and so did I. Mine 
lived for some time ; but Jack's met with a most 
untimely end. He was in the habit of taking 
the little fellow out of his pocket by mistake, 
when feeling for his gloves or handkerchief 
(when ladies were about) ; but one day he 
forgot to "take it out by mistake," when he 



44 SOUTHER^^" RAMBLES. 

happened to be lying out on the grass, and the 
poor Httle chap was crushed to death. Jack 
mourned for him lono:. He said he missed the 
friendly squirm which it gave whenever he put 
his hand in his pocket. 

When we returned to the hotel, most of the 
people Avere at supper; and as we took our seats 
at the table, I observed a short, sharp-featured 
man sitting opposite me, who had evidently just 
arrived. 

At the time of our entrance, a gentleman at 
the head of the table was talking to a friend of 
his, who was seated next the new arrival, about 
the Winsor Hotel in Montreal, and stated that 
some Americans who were there wrote their 
names on the walls. At this the new arrival 
fired up, and remarked, — 

" See here, stranger ! do you mean to tell me 
that Americans marked up the walls more than 
you blarsted Englishmen?" 

The gentleman remarked that there were peo- 
ple of every nation who sometimes did thought- 
less actions without meaning to do any harm. 



JACKSONVILLE. 



45 




" But you said Americans." 
^^ They certainly were Americans." 
""Well, that yanks the bun; that does take the 
cake. See here, young feller ! I 'm an American. 
My name's Brown, — John F. Brown; soap-fat 
man; north side Chicago. Everybody knows 
me there, — me and Mr. Blank. You must have 
heard of him. He 's a flower, he is. He owns 
fighting dogs and fighting cats and cocks, and 
has fast horses and a nice little girl. That 's the 
kind of a man he is, and I'm his friend; and 
that's the kind of a hairpin I am. You swell 



46 SOUTHEKIS' KAMBLES. 

Canada chaps think you can come down here 
and blow about your hotels; but it won't go 
down with me. Why, I've been all over your 
country, and never saw a ranche worth marking 
on yet." 

The gentleman left the table, and Brown be- 
came quiet; but in a few minutes he fired up 
again, and looking at Jack, remarked, — 

" When I hear a man talk that way, me, 

it makes me mad enough to eat a couple of 
eggs." 

We saw that he was hunting for a new victim; 
so as we had finished our supper, we rose and 
left the table in dignified silence. 

After half an hour's stroll, we returned to 
the hotel, and passed the evening playing bill- 
iards, so we saw no more of Brown that night; 
but early the next morning we observed him 
talking loudly to the clerk. As we passed, he 
was saying, — 

" I should like to know what kind of a hospi- 
tal you call this, anyhow. That galoot in the 
next room was swapping coughs with the girl 



JACKSONVILLE. 47 

over opposite, and between 'em they raised 
the — " 

We passed on, and the rest of the speech was 
lost. I missed him at dinner, and on asking the 
clerk where he was, was informed that he had 
left for St. Augustine on the morning boat to 
wake up the people there ; " and," said the clerk, 
"he can do it." 



CHAPTER lY. 

Lite in Jacksonville is easy and pleasant. 
Occasionally, during the winter, the mercury 
drops to 30° during the early hours of the 
morning, and then the visitors don innumerable 
under-flannels, and howl about the lovely South- 
ern climate to keep up appearances. Every 
warm day that comes along, they hang their 
thermometers up in the most sunny place they 
can find, and sit down to write to their friends 
in the Korth. 

Happening to enter the reading-room one 
morning, I observed an unfinished letter lying 
upon the table, which had evidently been dis- 
carded on account of an irnmense blot which 
obscured the picture of the hotel which embel- 
lished the corner of the paper. It ran as fol- 
lows : — 



JACKSONTILLE. - 49 

"Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 7, 1878. 

" Dearest Nellie : 

" I am sure 3-011 ought to feel bighlj' flattered at receiving 
another letter from me so soon ; l)ut I have been having such 
a perfectlj'^ splendid time latel}'^ that I wanted to tell you all 
about it. It is very loarm to-day. I am sitting by the open 
window as I write, enjoying the breeze, scented with the 
fragrance of the orange groves. Don't it seem funny that I 
should be sitting here writing to 3'ou, with the thermometer 
at 80°, while ^-ou are — " 

It broke off abruptly here. She was undoubt- 
edly a new arrival. An old hand would have 
gone down to the reading-room, nestled up to 
the stove, and written, " It is too warm to write, 
and really this languid climate seems," etc., etc. 
They all do it in one way or another when 
writing to friends at home who have not enjoyed 
the luxury of a Southern climate. Some of them 
crowd the temperature up a little; but then, what 
is the use of being mean about a few degrees? 

Jack wrote a letter home about a week after 
our arrival, and I happened to enter the room 
just as he commenced operations. He had evi- 
dently been taking some violent exercise, for the 



50 



SOUTHERN^ RAMBLES. 



perspiration stood out on his brow in beads. 
The window was raised about a quarter of an 
inch (to ease his conscience, I suppose), a heavy 
shawl was thrown over his shoulders, and he 
was writino: as if for a waorer. To crown the 
whole, he had hung his thermometer up on the 
wall, with the bulb about half an inch from 
the table, and every few minutes he would take 
the cigar from between his lips and rest it 
on the table under the bulb. Whenever he did 
this, the registered temperature was something 
frightful. 




WuiTiNQ Home. 



JACKSONVILLE. 51 

I asked no questions, and he made no re- 
marks; but he wore a satisfied smile as he 
mailed the result of his labors when we went 
down-stairs to dinner; and I could not help 
thinking that if the orthodox belief is true, 
and all a man's lies are recorded in heaven, 
the angel who has the contract for Jack must 
soon become a drivelling idiot, or take a partner. 



CHAPTER Y. 

A WINTER may be passed very pleasantly in 
Jacksonville. One makes pleasant acquaint- 
ances; visits numberless places, many of them 
worth seeing and many of them not worth going 
across the street to see; possibly the latter pre- 
dominate. 

Jack and I enjoyed ourselves: the tranquil, 
easy life suited us, especially Jack. The more 
lazy the life, the better he was suited. "We 
passed our time riding, boating, and sleeping. 
After dhmer we sometimes adjourned to the 
parlor and sung awhile. We sung duets occa- 
sionally, but not often, as it drew a crowd. I 
was once highly complimented on my singing. 
It happened in this wise: In the middle of a 
song a gentleman called who wanted to borrow 
some money of me. He listened attentively 



JACKSONVILLE. 53 

until I had finished, and then sighed, "I could 
listen to j^ou forever." I lent him the money. 
As a rule, people listened to my singing in 
enraptured silence and then went away. Some- 
times the proprietor would hurry in and ask me 
to stop singing, as there was a sick child on that 
floor. After a while I noticed that he generally 
asked me to desist, and advanced the sick-child 
theory, whenever there happened to be some new 
arrivals looking about the hotel to see if they 
liked it well enough to stay; and I came to the 
conclusion that he wished to impress them favor- 
ably by showing his tender-heartedness and 
solicitude for sick children. I did not like him 
as well after that. I do not like to see a man 
assume a virtue to increase his business. 

We made many friends among the guests 
of the hotel, and were constantly making new 
acquaintances. One morning as I entered the 
dining-room I observed a gentleman and lady, 
whom I had not seen before, sitting at our table. 
He occupied the seat next to me, and we very 
naturally conversed together while eating our 



54 



SOUTHERN EA^fBLES. 



breakfast. After leaving the table, I lit a cigar 
and strolled np and down the piazza, where in a 




" Look at that Child 



JACKSONVILLE. 55 

few moments he joined me, and we were chatting 
pleasantly together when I observed a nurse, 
leading two children, who was evidently just 
starting out for a walk. 

I said, " For heaven's sake, look at tliat bow- 
legged child! Why, his legs are like barrel 
hoops. Whose is it, — do you know? " 

"He is mine." 

" Oh ! I mean the other one." 

" They are both mine." 

I said something idiotic and tried to change 
the subject; but the conversation flagged, and in 
a few moments he excused himself and left me* 
Whenever we met afterwards he treated me with 
studied courtesy, but there was a coldness in his 
manner which I could not account for. 

In and about the city there are a great many 
pleasant drives, and good horses and carriages 
may be hired at reasonable prices if you make a 
bargain beforehand. Jack and I strolled over 
to a stable one afternoon and inquired the price 
of a carriage for the afternoon. The man named 
a price, but Jack interrupted him and said we 



56 



SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 



did not wish to buy the team, we merely wished 






■^i:^'fe:rE|^U'^l 




Don't owk a Glue Factory. 

to hire it for a diive. It was lost on the native, 



JACKSONVILLE. 57 

— sarcasm has no more effect upon them than 
prayer. We did not engage a team then; but 
the next day I sent a boy over to the stable to 
get ns a good horse and buggy. Tn about half 
an hour he returned, seated in a buggy drawn 
by an emaciated wreck of a horse, whose sides 
looked as though they had been passed through 
a fluting iron. 

Jack said, " Did you tell him we wanted a 
good horse? " 

" Yes, sah, he said this was just the horse to 
suit you.-' 

" "Well, you go back and tell him that he has 
made a mistake in the parties ; we are not the 
proprietors of a glue factory." 

"SahV" 

"Shut up!" 

Jack was evidently annoyed, so to save trouble 
I climbed into the team, where he followed me and 
took the reins. We woke up the wi^eck, and 
after dusting him with the but of the whip for 
a few moments, induced him to jog along at a 
reasonable rate. Poor fellow, he was so thin 



58 SOUTHEKIS' RA^IBLES. 

that his l)ackbone rattled at every step; but we 




enjoyed the ride and the exercise. 



JACKSONVILLE. 



59 



Among the j)laces in Jacksonville well worth a 
visit are the tobacco factories, where a large num- 
ber of negroes are employed in manufacturing 
cigars. Their singing is well worth hearing. We 
hired a number of them to come and sing to us in 
the evening, while we sat upon the porch of the 
hotel. I shall never forget the evening. It was 
a bright moonlight night, and we had been listen- 
ing to their rich voices blended together in the 
simple harmony of the negro melodies. For five 
minutes every one had maintained a perfect 
silence. No one wished to speak. All nature 
seemed at rest, and the peaceful stillness seemed 




Home, Swebt Home. 



60 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

harshly broken by the sound of the human voice. 
Suddenly one of the negro tenors commenced 
singing " Home, sweet home," while the others 
hummed an accompaniment. When it ceased and 
died away, more than one young girl slyly wiped 
away a tear which they should not have been 
ashamed of; our hearts yearned for our loved 
ones at home, whom we were not to see, perhaps, 
for months to come. 



CHAPTER YI. 

I 

Every day we heard people talking about 
the wonderful shooting which they had had in 
such and such places. Their stories were so 
large that hefore I visited the wonderful spots, 
I thought they were stretching the truth a lit- 
tle. Afterwards, my impression remained un- 
changed; but I was told that the year I was 
there, game was scarcer than any in the remem- 
brance of the oldest inhabitant. This may have 
been so; at least, as I had no way of disproving 
their statements, I gave them the benefit of the 
ponderous doubt. 

Standing on the wharf one day, I saw a poor, 
broken-down old man, whose white hair and tot- 
tering steps gave evidence of extreme old age. 
As he passed me, I observed that he was fear- 
fully cross-eyed. His otherwise fine features 
wore an expression of peaceful resignation, as 



62 



SOUTHERN' EAIUBLES. 




of one who had lived a good and true Ufe, and 

was ready to die, when 
his time came, with 
perfect trust in his 
Creator. 

An old pilot, with 
whom I had been con- 
versing a few mo- 
^^ ments before, touched 
\j me on the shoulder, 
■J and said, — 
"Do you see that white-haired old party?" 
"I do." 

" Kinder cross-eyed." 
" T noticed that he was." 
" Know who he is ? " 
"Xo." 

" "Well, ten years ago he was one of the smart- 
est pilots in the place ; but he had one bad habit, 
and that was lying. AVe all tried to break him 
of it ; but it was no use. AYhy, he used to com- 
mence light in the morning, and we did n't mind 
it much, — sorter white lies, you know ; but 



JACKSOin^ILLE. 



63 



as the day wore on, he grew worse and worse, 
until towards night, if he happened to meet you 
alone, he would thunder out double-jointed lies 
eight or nine feet long without a break. But to 
get back to my story. One morning Sam, or 




Know who he is ? 

^Salt,' as we used to call him, happened to be 
standing on the wharf, smoking his pipe before 
breakfast, and waiting for the steamer to get in. 
As the passengers landed, a young fellow fresh 
from Kew York stepped up to him, and asked 
him some questions about the place. 'Salt' took 



64 SOUTHER!^ RAMBLES. 

his measure, and opened light on him at first, to 
see what he was made of; but as the young 
chap seemed to swallow everything, he wanned 
up to his work, and in a few minutes forgot 
himself, and exploded an awful, compound even- 
ing lie on an emj^ty stomach. He got about 
half through with it, when he was taken with 
cramps, and tied himself into two or three kinds 
of knots. He sufi'ered awfully for nearly three 
weeks, and although the doctors pulled him 
through, they could n't get his eyes straight. His 
overstrained system has never entirely recovered, 
and now he is a broken-down old man at forty." 
This man bore a good reputation. The next 
day I happened to pass the' house where he lived, 
just as he came out of the gate ; he raised his hat 
jiolitely, and made a remark about the weather. 
At that moment a man passed by on the other 
side of the street, who looked like a candidate 
for a morgue. The ghastly white skin was 
drawn tightly over the high cheek-bones, and his 
deeply sunken eyes had a feverish light in them 
which was very unpleasant to look at. He was 



JACKSONTILLE. 65 

very thin, and walked painfully, like one weary 
and longing for rest. As he passed, he coughed 
a low, hollow cough, with a wheeze on the end of 
it that sounded so tomb-like it made me shudder. 
I The pilot looked sadly after him as he passed, 
and muttered, " Poor fellow ! poor fellow ! " 

"Do you know him? " I asked. 

"Know him? I guess I do, poor fellow; it's 
awful to see what ambition will lead a man to ! " 

"How?" 

" Why, when he landed here three years ago, 
he was one of the healthiest consumptives that I 
ever saw. He had an awful cough, and he used 
to shake the house so where he boarded that the 
other people would n't stand it, so he used to go 
out in the garden and take his morning practice ; 
but although it was an improvement on the house 
business, it raised the deuce with the fruit on the 
trees. Some one up river heard of him, and 
offered him a large salary if he would come up 
and cough in his orange grove during gathering 
season. 

" He did it, and the experiment was an immense 



66 



SOUTHERN" RAMBLES. 



success. He could clear a tree in three coughs, 




and sometimes two if it was a still day. He got 
contracts everywhere, and was proud as a peacock 



JACKSOI^^VILLE. 



67 



of his coughing. But oue day some mean fel- 
low put up a job on him, by tying a lot of 
oranges on a tree, and then hiring him to cough 
them off. He went and exploded a cough that 
shook the tree to the roots, but not an orange fell. 
An expres- 



sion of sur- 
prise passed 
over his face 
as he fired 
another and 
another with- 
out success. 
Then he got 
mad, and tak- 
ing off his 
coat and vest, 
opened o n 
that tree in 
earnest. The 
way he raged 
and coughed and wheezed was something awful 
to witness. 




68 



SOUTHERT^ RAMBLES. 



" He killed the tree, but not an orange dropped. 
He kept it up till he swooned. As he got 
warmed up to his work, some of his coughs 
knocked hiui off his feet as if a gun had kicked 
him. He lost all ambition after that, and spent 
all his money in drink. !Now he lives along by 
selling his body to the doctors. AVhenever he 
gets hard up he goes and sells himself to some 
new doctor, to be delivered at death; but if he 
keeps on getting thinner and thinner the way he 
has been doing lately, there- won't be enough of 
him left to go around, poor fellow." 

He turned his face 
aside to conceal a tear 
which slowly trickled 
down his weather-beat- 
en cheek. 

I said, " Are you sure 
that is all true?" 

"True! As I hope 
to be saved in the 
hereafter, it is all true as gospel. I saw it my- 
self." 




CHAPTER yil. 

PILOT TOWN. 

Pilot Towx is situated at the mouth of the 
St. John's River, and may be reached in an 
hour from Jacksonville in any of the little 
steamers which ply up and down the river. We 
had gone there for shooting; and so, when we 
had stowed ourselves away in a comfortable 
little house, we unpacked our arsenal and spent 
the afternoon in preparing for the next day's 
slaughter. 

From the stories which I had heard concern- 
ing this place, I had some idea of not taking a 
gun at all, but intended to cut a stick and walk 
about clubbing the game to death. I gave up 
this idea and took the gun along, as Jack said he 
was going to take his, and I wanted to do an 
equal share in the carnage which was to take 
place the next day. The evening was warm, and 



70 SOUTHER]^ RAMBLES. 

we sat out on the piazza smoking our cigars, in 
the quiet enjoyment of their narcotic mfluence 
and the mosquitoes. We listened for the croaks 
of thousands of night birds, but did n't hear any. 
It was probably not late enough. After a while 
Jack got sleepy, and proposed going to bed. 
Previous to retiring we looked over our ammu- 
nition once more. I filled several bags with 
cartridges, which weighed collectively about as , 
much as a mule could carry with any comfort. 
Jack did the same ; and added all he could stuff 
in his pockets besides. He said he always 
believed in taking enough ammunition in a game 
country. All being arranged, we retired. I 
listened to Jack for a few moments as he moved 
around in the next room, and then I heard him 
climb into bed; immediately there was a rattling 
sound, followed by some remarks. 

I was interested, and asked, — 

"What's the matter?" 

" Oh, nothing, only the slats of my bed have 
all fallen out." 

I heard him get up and arrange them carefully. 



PILOT TOWi?^. 



71 



then all became quiet. He had clhnbed into his 
bed so carefully that I had not heard him. I 
wanted to ask if he had fixed things all right, 
but heard him murmuring softly to himself, and 
did not wish to interrupt his devotions. 




Night after night this performance was 
repeated, and as regularly he said his prayers. 
Sometimes during the night Jack became 
restless, and a sudden movement in his sleep 
caused a general discharge of slats; then com- 
menced a groping for matches, during which 
operation he generally knocked over half the 
breakable objects in the room, or tied his toes up 



72 



SOUTHERJ^" RAMBLES. 



in a knot on the corner of some box; all the 
time he would be rehearsing blank verse in a 
foreign language. 

I am glad we did not stay there long; for if 
we had I think Jack would have soon acquired a 
vocabulary which would have made a pirate turn 
pale with envy. 

The next morning we were *"up Avith the 

lark"; and after an 

early breakfast we 
loaded ourselves with 
ammunition and guns, 
and started up the 
road in the direc- 
tion of the woods. 
After walking for an 
hour, I had seen and 
murdered two little 
i^i^, birds. I had heard 
Jack shoot once, and 
judged he was having 
as exciting sport as myself. By this time the 




• I have seeu this reiuark somewhere iu print. 



PILOT TOWiN". 73 

cartridges weighed a ton, and I sat down on a 
smooth stone in a shaely spot to wait for game. 
I did not wish to rest, bnt thonght that perhaps 
the noise of tramping through the bushes might 
frighten away the game. In about an hour I 
heard something coming through the bushes, 
and perceived Jack approaching, carrying a 
little white heron under his arm, which I after- 
wards learned he had found in the bushes, un- 
able to fly, and captured it alive. 

Observing me, he made a short cut to where I 
was seated, and lowering his head to pass be- 
neath a low limb, he put his face within an inch 
of an immense spider, which was evidently wait- 
ing to embrace him. 

For a second he remained stationary, and then 
fired the heron into the sky with one hand, while 
he dug a grave with his gun with the other. 
He then made the longest jump on record. 
Upon questioning him afterwards, he said that 
he was not at all nervous, but had simply 
dropped his things and stepped back to find 
something to catch the spider with. 



74 



souTHERi^ ra:mbles. 




Stepped Back. 

After digging up Jack's gun we started for 
the house, and upon reaching it found that 
dinner would be ready in a few moments; so 
piUng our game upon the porch, together with 
the guns and ammunition, we wended our way to 
our respective rooms to enjoy the luxury of a 
bath. 



PILOT TOWN. 



75 



Some weeks afterwards a Northern gentleman 
asked Jack about the shooting at Pilot Town, 
and he said, "Shooting? Oh, yes; it is much 
better there than about Jacksonville." I noticed 
also he inquired the gentleman's address, but 
showed no desire to visit that city on our return 
IS'orth. 




CHAPTER YIIL 

UP THE ST. John's. 

A FEW days after the events related in the X3re- 
ceding chapter, we were comfortably settled on 
board of a fine little steamer, bound up the St. 
John's Kiver, touching now and then at some of 
the larger orange groves which line its banks, 
but making no stop until we arrived at Palatka. 

Palatka boasts of a good hotel, the Larkin 
House. It is one of the best in Florida, and is 
improved by contrast with the others one finds 
farther up the river. Jack and I took our guns 
and wandered into the woods for a little sport, 
and had our usual success, although Jack swore 
that he saw a bird. The next morning we again 
boarded the steamer and continued on our way 
up the river. From this point the scenery be- 
comes very pretty, and the river is so narrow that 
it is nearly always perfectly calm. A short time 



UP THE ST. John's. 77 

after starting we passed the mouth of the famous 




Oclawaha River (famous for its alligators 
twenty feet long, its beautiful scenery, and many 



78 SOUTIIERIC EAIVIBLES. 

other lies which I have forgotten). Here the 
pilot told me about a " 'gator " Avhich he had shot 
at its mouth; but he had been up all night, and 
was tired so that he did not do himself justice. 
After passing Lake George the river narrowed 
still more, and I killed my first alligator ; later 
they became quite common, and Jack and I killed 
several, the largest of which measured about 
twelve feet in length. At Georgetown Ave were 
told that deer were very plenty, but somehow or 
other we did not want any deer, and so kept on 
our way up the river. 

It was night when we arrived at Enterprise, 
having travelled about two hundred and eleven 
miles up the St. John's. AYe stopped at the 
Brock House, and liked it so well we did not 
change. Jack summed up the whole matter a 
few weeks afterwards, when asked by a gentle- 
man (who was going to Enterprise) where he 
would advise him to stop. 

"Well, the Brock House has its defects, and 
many things about it might be improved ; but if 
I were you, I think I should stop there." 



UP THE ST. John's. 79 

"What other hotels are there in the place?" 

"J^one!" 

As I said before, we stopped there, and so did 
a number of other people Avho enjoyed the air, 
the butter, and the high prices as much as we did; 
perhaps more. The days were spent in hunting, 
and we found the shooting very good about 
Enterprise. Quail, snipe, deer, and aUigators 
are abundant within a short distance of the hotel, 
and one may get very good sport by taking the 
trouble to look for it. Our evenings were gener- 
ally passed in the reading-room in the society of 
a number of gentlemen, who were there for the 
same purpose that we were. The evening after 
our arrival, as we entered the room, it presented 
a lively appearance, calculated to cheer one after 
a hard day's tramp. There were but four gentle- 
men in the room; one was asleep on the sofa, 
two snoozed in their chairs, and the fourth was 
doubled up in the corner smoking his pipe. 
We joined in the general hilarity, and after 
sitting there for a few minutes, our voices uncon- 
sciously sunk to a half-whisper as if in a church. 



80 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

The gentleman who was lying on the sofa, and 




who appeared restless and uneasy, suddenly rose 



UP THE ST. John's. 81 

to a sitting posture and relieved himself of the 
following speech : — 

"Gentlemen: This sort of thing is played. 
Night after night we assemble here to pass 
the evening together, and what do we do? We 
l^lank ourselves in some chair and toast our 
shins, and amuse ourselves by swapping lies and 
gambling with the spittoon. Now, I move we 
have a game of poker." The motion being duly 
seconded, it was put to a vote, and carried by a 
large majority. 

During the evening Jack kept losing small 
amounts, until at last he had a hand which suited 
him ; he kept on betting until his opponent called 
him. He showed an ace full; his opponent 
showed four fours. Jack looked the hand al 
over carefully, and then smiled a sickly sort of 
smile, — the kind of smile one would expect to 
see on the face of a doctor, who, while dissecting 
a corpse, had it rise up and shake its fist at him. 
He then said it was late, and he "guessed he 
would go to bed." 

i^either of us understood the game very well. 



82 



S0UTHER:N' EAItlBLES. 



SO after one or two evenings at it we gave it up. 
"We did not dislike the game ; in fact we found it 
amusing, very, but expensive. 




Evening Amusement. 



UP THE ST. John's. 83 

The next clay we received an invitation to wit- 
ness a cock light which was to take place a short 
distance from tlie hotel. Keitlier of ns had ever 
seen a real fight, and were anxious to witness an 
afi'air of that kind; so at the appointed time we 
started for the ground, in company with several 
other gentlemen who had also received invita- 
tions. Arriving at the appointed spot, we strolled 
around and watched the operation of " heeling " 
the birds. The natural spurs of the bird are 
sawed off, leaving a 
stump on which to 
fasten the artificial 
weapon; around this is placed a strip of soft 
leather, over which the " steel " is pressed on and 
tightly bound to the leg of the fowl. 

The first pah* Avhich was brought out were 
magnificent birds of the " Spangle " breed. Upon 
perceiving each other their eyes flashed, and they 
seemed to quiver all over with rage. Before 
being released they were allowed to peck at one 
another for a few minutes, to still more excite 
their passions. The moment they were placed 




84 southern'ea^ibles. 

upon the ground they rushed at each other with 
blind fury, striking so quickly it was impossible 
to follow the blows. Almost immediately one 
of the birds dropped to the ground limp and life- 
less, with the steel spur of his adversary buried 
in his brain. The fight lasted only eleven sec- 
onds. The victor was carried away and carefully 
looked after, while the unfortunate rooster was 
thrown to one side to make room for the next 
pair, wdiich was then being brought up. 

These were even handsomer than the first pair. 
One was a large red of beautiful proportions; 
his opponent was much darker in color, and 
somewhat smaller. 

At the first rush the black was knocked 
completely off his feet and fell over on his back, 
but was up again almost instantly, striking sav- 
agely. Again and again the black was knocked 
over, but always managed to regain his feet 
before the red could strike him. After one of 
these falls we noticed that the red walked about 
in a dazed sort of way. His breath came with 
a gurgling sound, and the blood began to drip 



UP THE ST. JOHN'S. 85 

from the end of his bill. An unlucky stroke had 
cut his throat, and it was now only a matter of 
time as to which would win the fight; his own 
death was certain. The red seemed to know 
this, for recovering himself he rushed savagely 
at his opponent, and for a moment they fought 
as fiercely as at the commencement. They both 
fell together, and upon separating the black did 
not get up. However, a moment afterwards he 
struggled to his feet, and we perceived that his 
leg was broken at the knee. It was painful to 
witness the efforts of the brave little fellow to 
stand and fight. At every rush he was knocked 
down and cut badly; still he tried again and 
again, and one of his strokes penetrated deep 
into his opponent's breast. Again they closed, 
and this time the game little black did not get 
up again. He was dying, and when they 
lifted him up he was dead. The red stood with 
drooping head, his life-blood slowly dripping 
from his wounds; gradually his eyes closed and 
he sunk slowly down, down, until he rested upon 
his side. Once he tried to raise his head, but was 



86 



SOUTHERN" ea:mbles. 



apparently too weak; and with a gasp almost 
human m its agony, his muscles relaxed, and he 
lay at full length upon the ground, a conqueror, 
yet conquered. 

There was to be one more fight before dinner, 
and the gentleman who had invited us said that 
he was about to try a bird which he knew noth- 
ing about. It had been sent to him by a friend, 
and he intended to match him against one of his 
best cocks. In a few minutes the birds were 
brought up and allowed to peck at each other as 




A Tekrifio Rush. 



usual, to excite them. Somehow the new bird 
did not seem as ambitious as the others had been 
to be released, but when placed on the ground 



UP THE ST. John's. 87 

he struck at his opponent savagely. As hick 
would have it, his adversary's spur just pricked 
his neck a little. The moment he felt the touch, 
his whole appearance changed. His next rush 
was terrific, but we were imable to learn the re- 
sult of the fight, as at the time of our last view 
of them as they vanished over the top of a small 
hill, the pursuing bird had not gained sufficiently 
to admit of commencing operations. 



CHAPTER IX. 

DEER HUNTING. 

We had been told that there were quantities 
of deer in the vicinity of Enterprise, and Jack 
wanted to kill some; so did I. The resnlt was 
that we hired a negro who owned a family of 
dogs to take us where we could destroy one. 
He was a tall, powerful chap, all bone and mus- 
cle, and for a wonder we found him Avilling to 
work; what was still more strange, he did not 
promise to show us herds of deer grazing in close 
proximity to dense thickets. He said he would 
take us where he had seen deer, and where he 
knew deer sometimes went; but whether we 
would see one or not, he could not say. This 
saint's name was " Bunk." We were going to 
an island which was situated about a mile down 
the lake. Some of the dogs did not want to get 
into the boat, but " Bunk " petted them with a 



DEER HinSTTDsTG. 



89 



club, and coaxed them aboard. On the way 




Bunk. 

down some of the dogs became seasick, and were 



90 SOUTHEPt:N' RAMBLES. 

unhappy and miserable until we reached the 



itefe 







^r^ 




island. Upon landing we made the boat fast, 



DEER HUNTING. 



91 



and then our guide led the way through the 

wood, followed by his drove of dogs. lie said 

he would place us in certain spots which he knew 

of where the deer usually ran, and then he 

intended to scour 

the woods with his 

brood of curs,mak- ^^^ 

ing as much noise ^x 

as possible to drive 

the deer in our 

direction. 

He started, and 
we followed him 
for about a mile, 
in silence ; then 
Jack inquired if 
the "place was far." 
He said we were 
" 'most there " ; 
then followed fif- 
teen minutes of 
hard walking over rough ground, through 
tangled vines and bushes, until at last we arrived 




92 



SOUTHERX RAMBLES. 



at the edge of the woods, and saw before us a 
long stretch of level prairie, dotted here and 

there with clumps of 
small trees. Under 
one of these he j)Osted 
Jack, and Jack was 
very glad to be post- 
ed. Then followed 
another tramp of 
about half a mile 
'"^ to another desirable 
spot ; at last we 
reached it, and I 
,r7% concealed myself in 



^^2^ thick growth of 
bushes to wait for 
the coming deer. 
In about half an 




^hour I began to get 
9i restless ; the ants had 
found me, and had 
been exploring me with disgusting familiarity. A 
large black spider had been hanging over me for 



DEEK HITN'TrN'G. 93 

ten minutes. I watched him closely, but some- 
thing called my attention away for a moment, and 
when I looked np for him again he was gone. 
Of course I naturally concluded he was climbing 
about over me for exercise. This did not annoy 
me at all, but I was tired of staying in one place 
and wanted exercise myself, so I took it. 

Upon reaching the place where I had left Jack, 
I found that he had also grown tired of staying 
in one place, and was about starting out to hunt 
me up. AYhile we were conversing upon the 
advisability of going in search of ^'^ Bunk," that 
worthy appeared, followed by his faithful hounds, 
with the exception of a few odd ones which had 
become tired and gone to sleep somewhere on 
the way. He had seen no deer. We were both 
anxious to continue the hunt, but it was growing 
late, and we thought it better to wait until the 
next day, so we went back to the boat. Jack 
found a huge hornets' nest attached to a branch, 
which he cut off, nest and all, to carry home as a 
trophy. Somehow Jack always had a liking for 
hornets' nests : when he was a boy he was one 



94 SOUTHERN EAIVIBLES. 

day presented with a gun by a kind relation. Of 







course he must try it, and the first thing he saw 



DEER HUNTING. 



95 



when he wandered into the woods was a huge 
hornets' nest suspended from a branch about 
seven feet from the ground ; he took good aim and 
fired, hitting the nest, and also tickling one of 
his father's horses which was feeding; at the time 




just under it. The hornets came out to inquire 
into the cause of the disturbance, and found the 
horse there just as he was preparing to start for 
the next State ; they encouraged him in his idea. 
Time not taken. Jack took his meals standing 
for a week after; telling the joke to his father, 
they had roared over it together. 



CHAPTEK X. 

LIFE AT ENTERPKISE. 




The row home was very enjoyable: I steered. 
Jack was lazy and curled himself up m the bow 
of the boat for a nap, leaving " Bunk " and I to 
do all the work. The sun had gone down, and 
the soft, indistinct, foggy appearance of objects 
at a short distance jiroclaimed that night was at 
hand. The full moon had risen, and illumined 
the shore with a splendor seldom if ever seen in 
the ]^orth J it was fully light enough to read by, — 



LIFE AT ENTERPRISE. 



97 



if one had anything to read, and the type was 




^1 iWM 







not too small. As we moved slowly along 



98 SOUTHERN KAMBLES. 

within a short distance of the shore, the only 
sound that broke the perfect stilhiess was the 
regular movement of the oars in the row-locks, 
and the dripping" of the water from the blades. 
I was impressed by the grand beauty of the 
scene, and began to muse on the wonders of the 
universe and such things. The perfect silence 
appeared to affect Jack too, for he suddenly 
lifted up his voice and sung, keeping time with 
the movement of the oars. The rich bass voice 
floated out over the lake, like the subdued bray- 
ing of a dying jackass. As he commenced the 
second verse, a venerable dog climbed up on the 
seat in front of him and improvised an accom- 
paniment. AVhen he got to the chorus all the 
dogs joined in; it was grand, but Jack did not 
appear to think so, for he stopped singing, — so 
did the dogs. 

We arrived at the hotel without further inci- 
dent, and after supper were well laughed at for 
returning empty-handed. We had forgotten to 
prepare a lie, and so had no excuses to offer, but 
were only too glad to go to bed as soon as we 



LITE AT ENTERPRISE. 99 

had finished our cigars. Here let me say that in 
Florida " to bed " and " to sleep " are not synony- 
mous terms ; " mattresses " and " stock farms " 
may be, but I am not quite positive upon that 
point, as my recollection fails me. 

At such a place as Enterprise, one has a 
chance of seeing many curious characters; this 
category includes a class of men who are termed 
"crackers," a name originally applied to the 
poorer class of white people inhabiting the 
southern part of Florida. One evening, while 
we were sitting on the piazza of the hotel, a tall, 
lean, lanky individual, with a dilapidated suit of 
clothes and a more dilapidated hat, came slowly 
ujD the steps and stood looking about him in a 
dejected sort of manner. He nodded to Jack, 
who happened to be nearest to him, and re- 
marked, — 

"Fine weather." 

"Yes," said Jack, "you ought to make the 
crops pay this year." 

" Don't raise any." 

" !N^ot a farmer, perhaps ? " 



100 SOUTHERN" EAMBLES. 

" Wall, I used to be, but I cant work now. 
I 'm sick all the time." 

""What's the matter with you? " 

" Wall, I 've got the shakes and the dyspepsy, 
and I can't get nothen to do me no good." 

" Why don't you go to a doctor? " 

" I 've tried lots of um ; but they don't none of 
um seem to do me no good." 

Jack glanced over his shoulder to see if he was 
observed, and then leaning forward, said in an 
impressive manner, — 

" Do you see that tall, gray-haired old gentle- 
man over there?" (pointing to a group of new 
arrivals, none of whom he had ever seen before in 
his life.) 

"Which?" 

" The chap with the spectacles." 

"Yes." 

" Well, that is one of the most celebrated 
physicians in America : he could cure you up in a 
jiffy if you could get him to give you some 
medicine; but he is a gruff old duffer and don't 
want to be bothered about his business while on 



LIFE AT ENTERPRISE. 



101 



a vacation, so says he is not a doctor. You will 

m 




have to tease him a little, and if he is gruff don't 
mind him : it 's his way." 



102 SOUTHERN E AMBLES. 

The '^ cracker " absorbed all Jack had to say, 
and after letting it settle, turned around and 
stared fixedly at the elderly gentleman, who was 
seated in company with his two daughters at the 
end of the piazza, all unconscious of what was 
going on. 

Jack seized the occasion to wink at me. Af- 
ter looking steadily for a moment, the " cracker " 
asked in a dreamy sort of Avay, — 

" Do you think he would help me, if I asked 
him?" 

"Don't know; you might try." 

Another pause; Jack's face as calm as a 
tombstone. 

Then, "I guess I'll try him, anyhow"; and 
with that he moved slowly off, in the direction of 
the doctor. 

Jack said he thought a change of climate would 
suit his constitution, so he went into the reading- 
room. I did not like being alone, so I went 
with him. In the reading-room we found a 
number of gentlemen, and Jack explained the 
joke to them in a whisper. The blinds Avere 



LIFE AT ENTERPRISE. 



103 



closed, but the windows were open, and we could 
hear all that was going on outside without being 
seen ourselves. We crowded around the window 
in silence, waiting for the fun to commence. 




Presently a voice, which we recognized to be 
that of our new acquaintance, said, — 
" Say, mister, be you a doctor? " 
« I am." 
Jack's face was a study, but he recovered him- 



104 



SOUTHER]!^ EAIVIBLES. 



self and ordered the necessary stimulants. That 
night I heard him moving restlessly in his bed, as 
though his conscience troubled him, — perhaps 




Thanked Him. 

it did. The best of the thing was that the 
" cracker " on meeting him the next day thanked 
him warmly, with tears in his eyes, for his kind- 
ness. There were a number of the gentlemen 
present, and Jack did not seem to enjoy it; we 
did! 

A few days afterwards, I had the pleasure of 



LIFE AT ENTEKPIUSE. 105 

witnessing an example of coolness and qiiick 
wit, snch as it has rarely been my lot to see. 

A party of gentlemen were practising pistol 
shooting, and among them was a celebrated 
marksman, who had been doing some exceedingly 
brilliant shooting. While the practice was 
going on, a young Englishman had been lazily 
reclining under a tree, smoking a cigar. After 
the gentleman, whom we will call Z, had made 
a more than usually fine shot, the Englishman 
said in a drawling tone, " By Jove, not so bad." 
l^o impertinence was intended, and the drawling 
tone was perfectly natural; but Z took offence 
at the remark, and said sarcastically, " I am glad 
you do not think it bad. Will you be kind 
enough to show us a good shot?" (handing him 
the pistol.) " I will hold out my cigar if you 
will oblige me by shooting the ashes off of it." 
The Englishman was placed in a position where 
he had either to attempt a shot which he knew 
he could not make, or admit that he was inca- 
pable of doing it. We all thought him caught; 
but no, he gravely returned the pistol and said, 



106 



souther:n' eambles. 



in a slow, drawling manner, " My dear sir, I am 



PiU!^<^ 




a stranger here, and this is your country, you 



LEFE AT ENTERPRISE. 107 

know. I will hold the cigar and you make the 
shot " ; and with this he took the cigar between 
his fingers, and held it up in a careless, uncon- 
cerned way. Z accepted the pistol, stepped back 
a few rods and took aim; there was a flash, a 
raj^ort, and the ashes flew into the air in a little 
white cloud. The Euglishman glanced at his 
cigar, smiled, bowed, and replacing it between 
h"s lips, walked slowly to the hotel. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE stranger's STORY. 

That evening, while Jack and I were con- 
versing with a tall, fine-looldng man, who had 
arrived by the boat that afternoon, an old negro 
came up to us and requested a contribution in 
aid of a church about to be established some ten 
miles back in the country. Jack asked who was 
to be the minister. 

"lis!" 

" Do you feel competent to fill the position?" 

" Wall, master, I is going to try and dispense 
de gospel, and wid de help ob de Lord I is goin' 
to succeed." 

We gave him some money, and as he moved 
away I observed a smile on the face of our new 
friend; and turning to me he said, "That last 
remark has recalled to my mind an incident 
which occurred many years ago while I was 



THE stranger's STORY. 109 

travelling in California. If you would like to 

ffl '^t^- 




hear the story, I should be most happy to relate 



110 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

it." ^W^e signified our desire to do so; where- 
upon he hghted a fresh cigar, leaned back in his 
chair, and began at once. 

THE STRAXGER's STORY. 

I was a miner at that time, and while out 
prospecting among the mountains, we encamped 
one evening at a little mining village known by 
the name of Salt Gulch. Upon our arrival we 
were informed that the whole camp was in 
mourning on account of the death of " the par- 
son," who had died that same afternoon. He had 
been a poor, weak, perhaps incapable young man, 
wiio had suddenly appeared in the camp some 
two years before. The rough men who consti- 
tuted the population of the " Gulch " had liked 
him from the first, and had evidently felt a pride 
in having a minister in the camp. They had fed 
him and sheltered him, and he in return preached 
on Sunday to those who would come to the little 
log-cabin which constituted the church of the 
camp. He often watched by the bedside of the 
sick, tending them with kindness and gentleness, 



THE stra:n^ger's story. Ill 

and the rough miners loved him; and when he 
died followed him to his grave, showing real sor- 
row, as they erected a rough pine cross to mark 
his last resting-place. 

That night it was decided that in respect to 
the memory of the departed, the church should 
be kept up, and an individual known as " Brandy 
Joe " was unanimously elected to fill the vacant 
position of " parson." 

The next day was Sunday, and after breakfast, 
the whole camp assembled in the church, in 
anxious expectation to see how " Joe " would get 
on in his new position. The pulpit consisted of 
a rough pine table, placed upon a small platform 
raised some three or four feet from the ground. 
On the table rested a Bible, a glass of water, 
and a mallet such as are used by auctioneers. 
As soon as the congregation had become quiet, 
Joe arose, rapped several times, to command 
silence, cleared his throat, and resting his hands 
upon the table in front of him, said, — 

" My hearers ! You all know that this is a 
new game to me. I have looked on several times 



112 



SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 



while it was a-goin' on, but I never took a hand 




MTfTrffrnrrrrrr-.^ '■ 



in it before. Yer see it was kinder rouiirh on 



THE stranger's STORY. 113 

this camp, when the dear departed passed in his 
checks. Seein' as how there wa'n't another of his 
j)rofesh hangin' around in these parts, some one 
had to be ]"un in to fill the vacancy: I was the 
galoot run in, and all I can say is, I am a-goin' to* 
try and play the game straight clear through j 
and I don't believe as this camp will try and put 
up a job on me the first deal. Bein' as how I 
never expected to be called on to take the bank, 
and not bein' up in the game, I kinder looked 
into it last night; and I struck several p'ints 
which may interest the crowd. I struck one 
yarn about a chap named Balaam. It seems he 
was goin' on a visit to some of his friends, and 
was a-joggin' along, ridin' an old ass, and sorter 
takin' it easy, when the angel of the Lord rose up 
and stood in his way. The ass saw the angel 
standin' in the road and bolted ; but Balaam 
belted him over the head with a club and drove 
him back into the road. And it came to pass 
that the angel moved on down the road and laid 
for 'em again; and when the ass come up and 
saw him, he jammed Balaam up against a wall; 



114 



SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 



and Balaam lifted up liis voice and swore, and 



/:::i-i 1 ' ■■■■ ' 




lammed considerable dust out of the animal's 




The Stranger's Story. (See page 115.) 



THE stranger's STORY. 115 

hide with the bkidgeon. Again the procession 
moved on; this time the angel put np a job on 
'em, and settled down in a part of the road which 
Was so narrer they could n't git by. When the 
ass saw him the third time, and found he had 
no show, he threw up the game and sat down, 
slidin' Balaam off in the mud. Balaam was 
awful mad, because, you see, he was all fixed, 
' — ragged out, as it were; he just riz outer that 
mud and whaled the ass like thunder. Then the 
Lord opened the beast's mouth, and she said 
unto Balaam, — 

"^Why dost thou whale me?' 

"And Balaam lifted up his voice and said, — 

" ^ By the beard of my daddy, I '11 whale the 
immortal stuffin' out of yer, if you cut up any 
more shines with me ! ' " 

Here the speaker paused for an instant, and 
then said, " I don't quite feel solid as to Avhat 
was did after that; but he didn't have no more 
trouble, and got to where he was goin' all serene." 

Further speech was interrupted by a burst of 
applause ; and cries of " Go it. Brandy ! " " Bully 
for Joe ! " were heard upon all sides. 



116 , SOUTHERN^ RAIVIBLES. 

"When quiet was at length restored, Joe 
mopped his face mechanically Avith a large red 
handkerchief and continued : — 

" I want to tell yer another story about a chap 
named ^Nebuchadnezzar, who was high-cock-a- 
lorum and chief boss of the locality in which he 
resided. Yer see, he had told the boys that 
they must knuckle under and look pious at an 
image, or something of that sort; and three of 
the boys, named Shadrach, Meshac, and Abed- 
nego, would n't do it. Their friends gave 'em 
dead away, and N^eb. ordered 'em to be brought 
before him. The boys tumbled that they were 
in for it when they heard he wanted 'em; but 
they were game, and went. When iN^ebuchad- 
nezzar saw 'em he said, ^ I 've been told that 
you three chaps w^on't pray to that lovely little 
god I 'vo set up out there in the square. iNTow 
let me tell you chaps right here, that I rule this 
roost; and if, when next you hear the sweet 
sounds of the sackbut, psalter}^, dulcimer, and 
jewsharp, you don't get down and worship that 
iffigy, I'll roast yer.' What did the boys do? 



THE STEANGER'S STORY. 117 

Did they weaken, and say they would tumble to 
the racket in future? ;N"ot much they didn't. 
They called a meeting right there, and ap- 
pointed Shad, a committee of one to express 
their opinions ; and Shad said, *^ O sire, you 
take us for the wrong kind of a set of angels. 
If you think we are going to worship that scare- 
crow to the sound of slow music, we beg to 
tender our resignation.' 

" Then the king was as mad as if he had sat 
down on a nail, and he ordered his best oven to 
be heated seven times hotter than it ever had 
been before, and that Shad., Mesh., and Ab. 
should be chucked into it. Yer see, the boys 
were game, but the old man was too much for 
'em, for he had the crowd with him; and they 
tied 'em and hove 'em into the oven. Then the 
old man got up, and his eyes stuck out, even 
like unto those of a lobster, and the folio win »* 
jawing took place: — 

"^Did I not chuck three infidels into that 
oven?' 

"And they answered imto him, saying, ^O 
king, thou hast a level head!' 



118 



SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 



" The old man, though, he saw four men walk- 



JllJUW 




ing about in the oven ; and knowmg he had only 
invested in three, it kinder broke him all up, and 



THE stranger's STORY. 119 

he called the boys out, — and the Good Book 
says ^they come out.'" 

Joe paused, wijDed his face with the handker- 
chief again, and then continued, "I Avill now 
pronounce the benediction ; the meeting will then 
adjourn, and I invite all hands to take a drink." 

Bill Davis then arose and proposed three 
cheers for " Brandy Joe, the new parson." They 
were given with a will; the benediction was then 
pronounced, and the meeting adjourned. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE WILDERNESS. 

"VVe soon tired of Enterprise, and yearned to 
ascend the river still farther and explore a coun- 
try but little visited by tourists. Both of us 
were anxious to go; and when two people are 
anxious to do a thing, and nothing interferes, 
they generally do it. We consulted " Bunk," and 
found that he knew the country well enough to 
act as our guide. By the next morning we 
were ready and waiting for the little steamer 
"Wikiva," which was expected to arrive some 
time during the day. It is hard to describe the 
"Wikiva." A raft with a smoke-stack, a cabin, 
and an old mill-wheel hitched at one end, would 
resemble her, and go about as fast. She has to 
be flat-bottomed, as the river in some places is 
very shallow above Lake Harney; and as the 
pilots trust in Providence in their steering, a 
slow boat is a positive luxury. 



THE WILDERNESS. 



121 



At noon she had not come m sight, so we 
rowed up-river to get a little shooting until she 
overtook us. "Bunk" was fresh, and rowed 
hard until I cautioned him that if he did not go 
slower the boat would never overtake us. We 




then went ashore and camped. About midnight 
she came in sight around a point a few hundred 
yards doAvn the river. We then commenced 
getting our things together, to be ready to board 
her when she came past. The puffing and 
splashing grew louder and louder, and a little 
after one o'clock she was about opposite our 
camping-ground, and the following conversation 
ensued : — 
"Boat ahoy!" 



122 



SOUTHERiSr EAMBLES. 



"Hullo!" 

" We want to come aboard." 

" All right, come ahead ; there ain't any place 
there where we can run ashore and get yer." 

" All right, hold on, and we '11 come out to you." 

A few strong strokes of the oars, and we 
were alongside; a I'ope was thrown to us, and 
" Bunk " made the boat fast while we clambered 
oyer the side. 




The "Wikiva." 

Upon inquiring for a state-room, we were 
informed the boat only contained two, and they 
were both taken ; so nothing was left for us to 
do but to sleep in the engine-room. The room 



THE wildee:n:ess. 123 

was small and close; and as the furnace door 
was open about all the time, the atmosphere 
was somewhat heated. I should judge that I 
had slej)t for about half an hour, when I was 
awakened by a sensation as if gradually being 
roasted alive. I called "Bunk" and sent him 
for my thermometer. It was one of the common 
kind, and did not register over 220 degrees. It 
burst in eleven seconds. 

During a conversation with the engineer, I 
learned that he had acted as engineer on that 
boat for four years ; and although he had led a 
wild and somewhat wicked life, he did not fear 
death. I believed him. 

I went outside to get some air, and find a place 
to lie down in which I might possibly get some 
sleep. Ha,rdly had I got outside the door, before 
I stumbled over a bundle of blankets lying in a 
heap, which some negligent person had left lying 
on the deck. l!^ow, I am sweet-tempered, but 
anything like that annoys me ; so I turned around 
and relieved my feelings by kicking it as hard as 
I could. Then the bundle rose up and was going 
to kick me, but I apologized. 



124: 



SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 



I felt better then. Nothing makes a man 
feel so contented as to think over an event of 
that kind. Imagine the feelings of a person 




I APOLOGIZE. 

who is kicked out of a sound sleep by a stran- 
ger, and then to have the stranger apologize in 
a most humble manner, so that he can't do any- 
thing except swear! The more the injured party 



THE wilder:n:ess. 125 

thinks it over, tlie madder he gets; while the 
offender, as he muses on the event, experiences 
a sense of tranquillity stealing over his senses, 
and feels at peace with all the world. 

I found Jack asleep on the other side of the 
boat, and woke him up to tell him al)out my 
mistake; but he was ungrateful, and wanted to 
know why I could n't have kept it until morn- 
ing. Jack is i^eculiar sometimes. 

In about an hour I was awakened by the 
sound of escaping steam, and learned that the 
pilot was sleepy, and they had run the boat 
ashore while he took a 
nap. Towards morning 
we started again, and 
arrived at Lake Harney 
about daylight. Here we 
left the steamboat, and 
rowed ashore to make 
a camp and get some 
breakfast. While " Bunk " was at Avork pre- 
paring our morning repast. Jack and I took our 
guns and started off to. see what we could find 




126 



souther:!^ EA]VIBLES. 



in the shape of game, and in a short time pro- 
cured a number of snipe, wliich we found quite 



. ^-^/l^ 
^': 



S«M5Si\ 




abundant in the vicinity of the lake. Upon our 
return to camp we found breakfast all ready and 
waiting for us. It was a simple repast, consist- 



THE WILDERNESS. 



127 



ing of pancakes, hard-tack, and coiFec ; but what 
it lacked in variety, it made up for in quantity. 
I tried the pancakes, but did not hke them; they 
were too rich. Jack did not seem to appreciate 
them any better than I did, so we made our 
breakfast of hard-tack. Breakfast over, we 
stowed the hiirjragfe in the boat: and after 
getting in ourselves, there was not much spare 
room left. "We found that the boat was loaded 
too heavily at the stern to row easily ; but Jack 
soon rectified that difficulty by throwing over 
the pancakes, which "Bunk" had carefully 
packed away for future use as ballast. 




CHAPTER XIII. 

DEEP CEEEK. 

There is a dreamy sense of enjoyment in 
floating along with the viver in a wild, uninhab- 
ited region. The morning dawns sloAvly, and 
the smooth water presents a beautiful appearance, 
seemingly covered by a mass of white clouds, 
which slowly disappear as the sun 7*ises higher 
and higher in the heavens. All nature is fresh 
and sweet after its baptism of dcAV, and a few 
remaining drops still sparkle on the leaves as 
they sway and rustle in the morning breeze. 
The oars are at rest in the boat, and not a sound 
disturbs the silence except the occasional song 
of some wood bird, singing merrily as it sways 
upon the topmost bough of an overhanging tree, 
or chirping softly to its mate concealed in the thick 
undergrowth. The long Spanish moss hangs in 
graceful festoons from the trees, and adds a 



DEEP CREEK. 129 

strange beauty to the scenery, which at this part 
of the river is often picturesque and grand. 
Floating along in this manner, stopping now and 
then to knock over a few snipe, or to get a shot 
at the ducks, which abound in the small lagoons, 
we at last reached the mouth of Deep Creek 
and made our camp in its vicinity, as we intended 
to explore it the next day. Onr bag for the day 
had been very good, considering that we had not 
spent a great deal of time in shooting. It 
included sixteen ducks, two or three teal, and a, 
couple of dozen snipe, besides a lot of small 
birds, which Jack classified scientifically, and 
nearly gave " Bunk " the lockjaw when he tried 
to name them after him. 

The mosquitoes enjoyed us that night, and 
went and gave their friends our address, so that 
before morning a large congregation had assem- 
bled; and it was only by using quantities of oil 
of tar that they were kept at a respectful dis- 
tance. "We passed a most uncomfortable night, 
and by the time it was fairly light the next 
morning, we were in our boat and paddling 



130 



SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 



slowly lip the creek. About half a mile from 
its mouth it gradually narrows until the over- 
hanging trees meet at the top, so that we were 
entirely protected from the rays of the sun. 




An Uncomfoktaule Night. 



Upon rounding a bend, the sound of a heavy 
splash ahead of us would reveal the presence of 
some large alligator. Avhich had been lying asleep ^ 
on the bank, but whose acute senses had detected 
our presence before we had reached a point where 
he could be seen. Quantities of little alligators 
were to be seen along the banks, and stared 



DEEP CREEK. 131 

stupidly at us as we passed, but the larger ones 
were very shy and difficult to obtain a shot at. 

While lazily enjoying the constantly chan- 
ging scene, Jack suddenly raised his hand, and 
pointed at the same time, makhig a gesture to 
signify that we were to keep quiet. Following 
the direction of his gaze, I saw two huge wood 
ibises standing upon a dead branch about forty 
yards distant. They had evidently seen us, and 
were just in the act of leaving their perch when 
the report of our guns awoke the echoes of the 
forest, and they both came to the ground. Little 
did we dream of the amount of life which was 
lying concealed in that apparently deserted 
spot. At the sound of our guns, two large 
flocks of white ibises started hurriedly from 
their concealment, and circled shrieking over our 
heads; from the woods upon our left came the 
harsh cries of paroquets; and a heavy crashing 
in the bushes just ahead of us told of the pres- 
ence of some large animal whose meditations 
we had suddenly disturbed. For the next few 
minutes, things were lively in that creek; but 



132 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

then a sudden silence fell on the scene, and had 




Deep Creek. 



DEEP CREEK. 



133 



it not been for the dead bodies of the bu'ds float- 



wtfMW^mm 



Mf^ rim II 




I 'vE Got Him. 

ing in the water, we might have thought the 



134 SOUTHERlSr KAMBLES. 

whole thing to have been a dream. One huge 
wood ibis was making off among the bushes, 
and Jack jumped ashore and started to catch 
him. They both disappeared among the bushes, 
but I heard them splashing about in the water 
of a small marsh, which was concealed from our 
view by the undergrowth. A few more splashes? 
and then a cheery voice shouted, "All right; 
I 've got him ! " Another splash or two, and 
then, " No, d — n it ; he 's got me ! " 

The sounds of a struggle were borne faintly 
to my ears, accompanied by exclamations of a 
character which showed that somebody was ex- 
cited; and a moment after, that somebody ap- 
peared upon the scene, in the shape of Jack, 
holding the poor ibis in one hand and an enor- 
mous club in the other. 

The next night we camped near Thorn Hill 
Creek, where we found a grove of sweet-lemon 
trees, the fruit of which makes a very pleasant 
drink. At this point there is a small shanty, in 
which Ave had intended to stop for the night ; but 
upon our arrival we found it already occupied by 



DEEP CREEK. 135 

a negro and a white man. The latter was lying 
upon a bed of blankets in a high fever. He was 
delirious most of the time, and during the night 
we were entertained by bursts of wild laughter 
and snatches of old songs. We passed a most 




uncomfortable night, but a little episode oc- 
curred towards morning which cheered us up 
somewhat. ^'^ Bunk " got bitten by a scorpion. 

In the morning we held a consultation, and 
decided that we had had enough shooting for 
the present. Game was plenty, but we had no 



136 . SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

use for it, and it would be wicked to destroy life 
merely for the sake of destroying life. Neither 
wished to go back to Enterprise, but we both 
agreed that we had better go in that direction. 
In the evening we arrived at the hotel. 




A few days later we were again on the river, 
this time going iioi*th. The trip down does 
not diifer materially from the trip up, except that 
the steamer goes a little faster on account of 
the current ; and by keeping a tree on shore in 
line with some object on the boat, a passenger 
may easily tell which way he is going. 



DEEP CREEK. 137 

"We stopped at Palatka over night, and aston- 
ished our systems with a good, substantial meal. 
There was a weighing machine in the ofRce, and 
Jack and I both Aveighed ourselves. Jack ate 
heartily that night, and his appetite seemed to 
have improved the next morning. Just before 
leaving I asked him to weigh himself over 
again. He did so: he had gained nine pounds. 



CHAPTEE XIY. 

ST. AUGUSTIKE. 




A SHORT sail brought us to Tocoi, where we 
found a tram in waiting to convey us to St. 



ST. AUGUSTINE. 139 

Augustine. During the ride Jack read from his 
book, and howled information to me across the car 
about the places which were worth seeing in St. 
Augustine. The road was rough in some places, 
and it was necessary for him to raise his voice to 
enable me to hear him. He was in the middle 
of a flowery description when we crossed a 
bridge ; the noise was deafening, but Jack never 
missed a word, and was yelling like a maniac, 
when the train suddenly ran on to a smoother 
part of the road. An old gentleman seated near 
the door arose, looked around hastily, and then 
went into a forward car. 

Nothing unusual occui-red during the ride, and 
we arrived at St. Augustine when the train did. 
We had been advised to go to the St. Augustine 
Hotel, so we went there. There are many things 
about a St. Augustine hotel which might be 
improved; but then the place is old, very old. 
Jack always spoke of it afterwards as a "d — d 
old town." 

The hotel contained a billiard-room and sev- 
eral first-class tables. Jack and I tried a game; 



140 



SOUTHER!^ RAMBLES. 



but being somewhat tired with travelling, we 
could not drive the balls hard enough against 
the cushions to make them rebound, so we gave 
,it up and went to bed. 




"We visited the cathedral : it is worth seeing, 
— everybody says it is. It has an overwhelming 
interest to the traveller, for some reason which I 
have forgotten; but I am glad I saw it, for now 
when I hear any one talking about the beauty 
of the St. Augustine Cathedral, I pity him in 
Bilence. Si)eaking of cathedrals brings to mind 



ST. AUGUSTINE. 141 

an incident which occurred in Paris some years 
ago. "We had been repeatedly advised to go to 
the Magdalene and hear the morning service. 
A party of four of us decided to go; but we 
started late, and when we entered the church the 
services had already commenced. I was struck 
by the solemn silence of the place; but my medi- 
tations were interrupted by an old chap seated 
near the door, who stuck out a badly worn paint- 
brush as we passed. He had on a little black 
velvet cap to keep him from catching cold. We 
avoided him and sat down. I observed that sev* 
eral other people who came in after us were 
treated in the same way, but they were all sold 
by the old duffer, for they stuck their fingers in 
the brush, and then put them to their noses; but 
they did not seem to like the perfume, for they 
all wiped them afterwards in a careless manner 
upon their clothes, with a sort of a criss-cross 

motion. G asked a grave-looking man next to 

him if it was perfume, and was told that it was 

" a perfume for the soul." G looked at him 

severely, and then relapsed into silence; but he 



142 



SOUTHEElSr KAIVIBLES. 



told me in confidence afterwards, that if lie had 
not wished to avoid disturbing the congregation, 
he would have^ "reached for that party and 
mopped the floor with him." 




"We watched the proceedings for some time, 
and tried to look pious and sanctified; but it 
was not very entertaining, — there was a sameness 
about it which became tiresome after a time. 

Between the acts a tall man in a gorgeous 
uniform, carrying in his hand a large cane with 



ST. AUGUSTrNrE. 



143 



a silver ball for a head, passed in and ont among 
the people, followed by a short, fat party, who 
carried a sort of fancy cap in his hand. I 
noticed that the people put money into the cap 
when it was held out to them. There was a 




musty smell about the place, which we were told 
was caused by burning incense. I had heard of 
incense, and was glad that I had smelt it, for 
otherwise I might have bought some some time, 
and then I should have been sold. We sat 
quietly for about half an hour, and I was just 



144 SOUTHERN RAMBLES. 

beginning to feel the beautiful solemnity of the 
place stealing over my senses, making me feel 

sleepy, when G broke the illusion by asking, 

" Have n't you had about enough of this? " We 
filed out, again avoiding the paint-brush. The 
boys were very quiet, and seemed to be thinking 
of something; perhaps meditating on their past 
sins and resolving to do better. I hoped it was 
so, but had grave doubts, and did not like to 
venture any remarks on the subject. 

The day we visited the St. Augustine Cathe- 
dral there was no service in progress, but I sat 
down on one of the benches and imagined I was 
again enjoying the grand services of the old 
cathedrals; the illusion was perfect when I fell 
asleep. 

"We visited Fort Marion, — every one goes 
there. Jack read me a description of it on the 
way, from a gaudy pamphlet which he had that 
morning added to his collection. It ran as 
follows: — 

" The old fort here is the chief glory of St. 
Augustine. For three centuries the coquina 



ST. augustin:e. 



145 




walls of Fort Marion — the modern name of 
' San Marco ' — have looked down npon the 
bay and the dis- 
tant open sea, 
the town and 
its fading gen- 
erations. Kow 
the late ten- 
ants — the In- SJHIipr^ 
dian prisoners — are gone, it seems more dreary 
and sad than ever. Passing the portcnllis, we 
enter the great court-yard, surrounded by case- 
ments, in one or two of which are stacks of old 
cannon; to the right is a sloping way leading 

to the broad pathway 
above, where we look 
down into the moat and 
water battery with its 
heavy guns. 

"At the corners are 
queer little martello 
towers, — sentry boxes 
with loop-holes, — and at the far end a larger 




146 



SOUTHERN KAINIBLES. 



tower surmounted by a ladder. Below stairs 
they show one the dungeon, with its ghostly 
legends of imprisoned imfortunates left to die." 

We saw the fort, and took a look at the dun- 
geons; but we restrained our enthusiasm, and 
were calm and self-possessed during our con- 
versation with the dirty soldier who showed us 
about. 

One of the most interesting places which we vis- 
ited was the lighthouse on Anastasia Island, which 
is in plain view from the hotel. The lighthouse 

is painted in alternate 
black and white stripes, 
resembling a barber's 
pole, from a distance. 
The keeper is a deter- 
mined fellow; and the 
beach is lined with the 
bones of men who have 
gone over there to get 
i^^^^^^^^^S shaved. 

We had been in St. Augustine about a week 
when Jack began to get restless. He wanted to 




ST. AUGUSTIXE. 



147 



go to l^assau. He had found out that a steamer 
was to leave for 'New Providence the followmo- 
week, and he had made up his mind to go ; what 
was more, he wanted me to go with him. AYhen 
we sat down to breakfast he talked of Kassau 5 
during our morning walks he talked of Nassau ; 
at dinner, he dwelt upon the tropical climate, and 
the splendid fruits to be found there. In the 
evening he i^roduced his book, and filled the air 




A Native. 

with ravings about I^assau. At last he read 
a paragraph that settled it. It was the follow- 



ms:: 



"If there is any such thing as an earthly 
sensuous paradise, I should think it might be 
found under a banyan-tree in the delicious mid- 



148 SOUTHERX KA^VIBLES. 

winter climate of Xassau. This leafy paradise 
should be enjoyed in a hammoclv swung from 
the banyan's branches. You can get a very 
good manila hammock for fifty cents. A deli- 
cious cigar, such as is found here, will help to 
intensify the tropical felicity. If that don't do it, 
the Cannabis Indica grows within sight, from 
which is derived the famous hasheesh, which is 
the king of all narcotics in weaving a dreamy 
spell about its votaries." 

]^ow, I wanted to see a place where I could 
sit under a banyan-tree and look at a " Cannabis 
Indica," and I wanted some " hasheesh." I did 
not know what " hasheesh " was, but I wanted 
some anyway; so when the hour arrived to go 
on board the " Secret," Jack and I were among 
the passengers. 

For some time after getting under way the 
vessel followed the coast ; but in the evening she 
turned about and steered boldly eastward. It 
was a lovely moonlight night, and Jack and I 
were on deck watch hig the slowly retreating 
land. Gradually it faded from our view until we 



ST. AUGUSTIXE. 149 

rolled upon an unbroken sea of white-capped 
waves lit up by myriads of animalcule, seeming 
on fire as they dashed against the side of the 
vessel. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

i|M|ii|iMiil III III' III 11 III I III III 

lllMMii I '11 lli"i||ii ii' 11 



014 541 054 A 



